A different route for boys

As Jamaica continues to grapple with the persistent underperformance of boys in school, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is offering an alternative path that combines academics, discipline, and mentorship to help young men find their footing. The JCF Cadet Academy, established in September 2021, was born out of the police force’s experience working with young people through its Safe Schools Programme and other youth initiatives where cops observed particular challenges among boys, including truancy. Speaking on the JCF’s Force4Good podcast, principal of the academy Deputy Superintendent of Police Tanecia Johnson said the force recognised the need for a setting where it could provide more focused support to young men.

The academy now combines traditional schooling with a highly structured boarding environment, with police, trained teachers, guidance counsellors, and other staff working closely with the students. Johnson said the academy’s approach is based on more than discipline, with staff seeking to understand the circumstances affecting each student and build relationships that encourage them to open up. “Oftentimes in the schools the students will tell us as the police, as their mentors, as their motivators, things that they will not tell a school principal, things that they will not tell their parents,” she revealed.

Those conversations, Johnson said, allow the academy to address issues such as anger, identity, purpose, attitude and a student’s plans for the future. This video grab shows Jamaica Constabulary Force Cadet Academy Principal Deputy Superintendent of Police Tanecia Johnson explaining the operations of the training institution.(Video: Jamaica Constabulary Force) The approach is producing encouraging academic results. This year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) performance included a 100 per cent pass rate in information technology and physical education and sports, while human and social biology recorded 98 per cent, English A 92 per cent, and office administration 90 per cent.

Mathematics recorded a 75 per cent pass rate.